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THE WINSLOW BOY | |
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GRADE: B | |
Thought-provoking period drama sports fine performances, sharp dialogue, and a taut structure, all in consideration of the celebrated 1910 case of a youngster booted out of military school on charges of stealing a postal note out of a classmate's locker. Trial-of-the-century tale has contemporary resonance, to be sure - a particularly nice touch is the dangling ambiguity of whether we can be truly assured of the boy's innocence. Director David Mamet must have been drawn to adapt Terence Rattigan's 1946 play by the verbal gamesmanship, best invoked through the dashing self-confidence of the renowned attorney (Jeremy Northam) who argues the boy's case, but also by the unspoken bond between father (Nigel Hawthorne) and son (Guy Edwards) that leads the one to defend the honor of the other, even at ludicrous lengths. Still, this is a case of prodigious talent chasing its tail. Though everything about the film is drawing-room perfect, this brand of careful success remains far less interesting than a brash failure. It almost makes me pine for the precious mind games of The Spanish Prisoner ... | |
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Written and directed by David Mamet from the play by Terence Rattigan Starring Nigel Hawthorne, Jeremy Northam, and Rebecca Pidgeon Theatrical aspect ratio: 1.85:1 France/US, 1999 | |
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